5 a day

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

If you still have your butternut squash or want to get one, this recipe has become a fall favorite. With the flavors that is everything that eminates FALL, this recipe just reminds me of brisk nights, soothing brown & red colors on the tress & a nice warm dessert filled with cinnamon to warm your soul. OOOHHH I loved it.

Heat oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium heat. Add the cubed squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet, cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the squash to a mixing bowl or food processor and mash. Season the squash purée to taste with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a low boil over medium- high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter a 13-by-9-by-2- inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Cover the bottom of pan with one layer of lasagna noodles. Spread half of the squash purée over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the cheese. Repeat layering once more, finishing with a layer of noodles covered only by white sauce.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna and continue baking until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

Last night we tried a great new recipe! It was a salad that used ingredients from last weeks box that I was trying to use up: Spinach, Apples, Grilled Chicken and I substituted feta cheese for the gouda. My husband is not a big salad eater and he loved it! It can be found on this blog of a friend of mine in Utah.

Friday, September 17, 2010

I know a few blog posts ago I said Menu Plan to keep your food lasting longer. I know we all Menu plan somehow. I go through many phases of menu planning, I have done monthly, weekly according to what's in my box. But since I've gotten back from my trip, all menu planning went out the door. SO I am determined to do it...DO IT!! so.....

I have gone through various different types of Menu Planning.Here are some great links for Menu Plan Printouts:

In a large skillet, pour about ½” of oil… heat it at medium-high heat.

While the oil heats up, prep the sweet potato… I peel it using a vegetable peeler because I am not too good peeling using a knife. The sweet potato will start to get dark after being exposed to the air a few seconds. Don’t worry, it’s normal and it will not change the texture or taste of the sweet potato.

After you’ve peeled and sliced the sweet potato and the oil is hot enough… start frying. The sweet potato will take a while to fry because of its moisture content… but with patience, it will cook on the inside and get crispy on the outside. The thinner you slice the potato, the faster they will cook and the crispier it will be. They should be golden brown, without any burned spots.

Drain them onto a plate with paper towel and sprinkle with some salt if you want… I usually do not salt them.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a food processor to crush the croutons. Spray a 1.5 quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour 1/2 Tbsp olive oil over bottom of dish. Peel and slice potatoes into 1/8-inch thick slices.Read more at Suite101:

Friday, September 3, 2010

Ok, so some of the past emails received has made me think about wasting food....so hence this BLOG POST!

I have done a bunch a research & some are things that we have been doing, to help minimize waste of produce:

#1 - SORT when you bring it home. Choose items that may VERY ripe to eat FIRST. So they don't go bad in the fridge & then wasted. Remember to bring out the produce already in the fridge forward or out on the counter so you can remember to use it.

#2 - USE Green Bags to preserve produce, they are reusable & my fruits & veggies last almost 2-3 weeks at times. Use lunch brown sacks for Mushrooms. Keep Potatoes & Onions in a cool area of the kitchen, cupboard or pantry.

#3 - MENU PLANEspecially for veggies that you may not use everyday, set a day & meal that you will use them in.SEARCH recipe sites for ideas to use for specific ingredients: allrecipes.com has a good one.I will be posting a new blog post with recipe ideas for what was received in the box each week.

#4 Preserve ExcessIf you find that you are using veggies, but have too many of certain veggies...preserve them!FREEZING:Bell Peppers & Onions - Chop & Freeze in ziplocs (great to pull them out from the freezer & pop them into your chili)Mushrooms - Saute 1/2 as long as normal & freezeTomatoes - some prep work see: DEEP SOUTH DISHESCorn on Cob: Husk, Blanch Corn, Cool, Bag & Freeze

#5 Keep a Food Waste DiaryEvery time you throw away food, whether it's a banana peel or 3/4 of a lasagna, you write down what it was and why you tossed it. The diary helps you be mindful - do I really need to toss this, or can I take it for lunch tomorrow? But also, after a while you can see what you're wasting the most and try to curb your shopping habits. see: thekitchn.com for details.

NOW that I say all these things, hopefully I can stay on top of NOT wasting food.Any PERSONAL tips, PLEASE post it!

Grilled Zucchini II

Ingredients

Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Toss in a bowl with Italian dressing.

Place on a hot grill and grill about 4 to 5 minutes or until nice grill marks appear and the zucchini is slightly limp. Serve and enjoy.

WHAT YOU CAN MAKE WITH : zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes

Crescent Beef Casserole

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup diced zucchini

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup tomato puree

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the zucchini, onion and green pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the beef, tomato puree, oregano, salt and pepper; heat through.

Unroll crescent dough. Separate into four rectangles; arrange three rectangles over the casserole. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until top is browned. Roll remaining dough into two crescent rolls; bake for another use.

MAKE WITH: Nectarines, Peaches, Plums, Apples*I change the fruit depending upon what I have, but the KIDS love this*

Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.

Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

(I cubed bread & baked it & used that instead of stuffing, which I did not have)

I found this recipe to be great for emptying some items in my fridge I had not yet used. Because of my GREEN bags, my zucchini's last 2 weeks...but I try to use them up & this recipe got 4 stars out of 5 mouths in our family!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

For 1 1/2 years I have been using the GREEN BAGS from Debbie Meyer. I love them. My produce will ast 2 weeks & even longer. I resuse the bags & only have to buy new once maybe twice a year. SUCH a good deal.

Find it at Walmart in the "as seen on TV" section (by the checkout stands)

6) Brush tops of rolls with egg wash. Place rack in center of oven & Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Rolls should be a deep brown on top & golden orange at sides. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

YUM!

*I tried these a few days ago...and did not estimate enough time for rising...so I finished baking the day after. LOVE them, very yummy to just munch on.

In a 3 qt. saucepan cook onion and carrot in butter for about 10 min. Stir in tomatoes, basil, salt, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 min.

Whirl tomato mixture, a portion at a time, in a food processor or blender until smooth; set aside.

Pour broth into pan and bring to a boil. Add pasta and simmer about 7 min. Stir in tomato mixture and heat through.

Who We Are

A little country town on the North Shore of Hawaii, makes it a bit hard to eat fresh for a good price..but we found a way. We like to eat our Fruits & Veggies, share yummy recipes & trade Food / Cooking Tricks.